Medieval East Asia

Medieval East Asia Civilization

Medieval East Asia comprised China, Mongolia, Japan, and Korea. In the Medieval Era, China was about half the size of its modern-day territorial boundaries, while Mongolia fluctuated from the territory depicted below to borders stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Caspian Sea. Medieval China, Japan, and Korea bear some striking commonalities, including:

• A focus on a divinely ordained dynastical rule, especially in heritage to ancient civilizations.

• Periods of chaotic factional infighting and rebellion.

• Agriculturally based economies.

For most of the Medieval Era, Mongolia largely did not share these traits. Mongolians were but one tribe within the north of Medieval East Asia, next to the Tatars, Khitans, and Jurchens, among others. Until the late Medieval Era, Mongolians were hunters and gatherers on the fringes of Siberia who engaged in small rivalry-driven raids and lacked a centralized dynastical ruler. That is, of course, until Genghis Khan.

Fig. 1- Map highlighting modern territorial boundaries of East Asia (China is the large mass in the middle, Mongolia is above China, Korea the peninsula to the east, and Japan is the Islands)

Medieval Mongolia

It took Mongolia until the turn of the 13th century to hit its stride as a true Medieval power. Genghis Khan, born as Temujin Khan, endured a life of betrayal and slavery only to conquer the majority of Asia. From Northern China to the Volga River in Russia and Khwarazm in the Middle East, Genghis and his generals implemented genius strategies and administrative tactics in establishing the Mongol Empire.

Fig. 2- Temujin Khan becomes Great Khan of the Mongol Empire

After Genghis's death, his sons and grandsons inherited his empire, often continuing to expand the empire through conquest. Gradually, the Mongol Empire strayed from the nomadic horseback archer roots that had granted them their success, becoming much like the rest of Medieval East Asia.

Infighting between the sons of Genghis Khan and a move toward general settlement and assimilation in the administration of vassal territories wracked the divided Mongol Empire until the end of the Medieval Era. By then, however, Mongolia had permanently stamped its influence on the rest of the world, especially East Asia. At one point, China and Korea were conquered under the reign of Mongol rulers in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), and Japan was even invaded by the forces of Kublai Khan in the latter 13th century.

Theologies Of Medieval East Asia

Theological diversity flourished within the Mongol Empire. At one point, Genghis Khan's inner circle consisted of Islamic, Christian, and Tengrism (original Mongol religion) practitioners. Religious tolerance was a hallmark of Mongol rule. Genghis Khan's sons took Christian wives of the Naimans, and many of their sons either adopted Christianity or Islam.

In the Yuan Dynasty of China, Kublai Khan adopted Buddhism, but Taoism and Confucianism remained strong forces. Medieval Korea largely practiced the same eastern religions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Japan inherited Buddhism in addition to its traditional practice of Shinto.

Medieval China

In Medieval China, dynasties rose and fell between periods of warring states. After the fall of the Classical Era Han Dynasty, China entered the Sixteen Kingdoms era, to be unified by the short-lived Sui Dynasty (581 CE-618 CE). The Tang Dynasty (618-907) then, later replaced by the Song Dynasty (960-1279). After an interlude set by the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty rule in China, the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was established, which lasted long into the Early Modern Period.

Fig. 3- Map of the Song Dynasty in Medieval East Asia

Medieval China can be characterized by Han culture, the predominating ethnic culture of the region (see: Sinicization). In terms of imperial rule, China followed the Mandate of Heaven, the idea that Chinese rulers were divinely ordained, and that if they betrayed their people they could be forcibly removed. In addition, imperial examinations became popular in determining the selection of Chinese bureaucrats, often based on Confucian teachings. Beginning in the Sui Dynasty, these examinations became commonplace in the Song Dynasty.

Medieval Korea

Medieval Korea continued the Three Kingdoms period, matching the Goguryeo against Baekje against Silla from 57 BC to 668 CE. By 918, the kingdom of Goguryeo (also called Goryeo) had emerged victorious in Korea, unifying its people under one common banner. Up until its end in 1392, the Goryeo Dynasty enjoyed trade with China and Japan, but became gradually influenced by repeated Mongol invasions and the breadth of Mongol supremacy throughout late-Medieval Eurasia.

Fig. 4- Flag of the Korean Josen Dynasty

The Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) replaced the Goryeo, continuing a trend of revitalizing a country's ethnic identity after a long period of Mongol occupation. For over 500 years the Joseon Dynasty ruled in Korea, heralding a period of great cultural and scientific progress.

Medieval Japan

When most people think of Japan's history, they think of the Samurai. When discussing Feudal Japan, they aren't wrong to think as such. Japanese Medieval social structure gravitated towards the establishment of a class of warrior elites called Samurai who engaged in intense territorial conflicts. When studying Medieval Japan, the scope of the Medieval Era is broadened to include the end of the 16th century. The primary periods of Medieval Japan are Kamakura Period (1192-1333), Muromachi Period (1336-1573), and Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1573-1600).

Fig. 5- Art depicting a horseback Samurai

The history of Medieval Japan tells the rise and fall of the Samurai. The Samurai shed blood to protect the interests of their shoguns and in service of their emperors, but Westernization in Japan and the resulting technological advancements soon outpaced the katanas and bows of the Samurai. Nevertheless, Medieval Japan is renowned for its wealth of cultural developments, art, architecture, literature, and philosophy. Additionally, Japan was one of few nations that successfully repelled a Mongol invasion, both in 1274 and 1281.

Medieval East Asia Trade with Europe

In yet another development instigated by the Mongol Empire, the relationship between west and east was rekindled during the Medieval Era. The revitalized Silk Road spurred trans-Eurasian Medieval Globalization, as traders from Italy and other European countries travelled great distances to the Mongol Yuan Dynasty of China, trading luxury goods such as gold, silver, diamonds, and silk.

Most famous of these travelers was Marco Polo, who at one point served in the court of Yuan Dynasty ruler Kublai Khan. The later Ming Dynasty would shut down on trade with Europe, wary of its subjects becoming too influenced by European cultures, but much of the history of Medieval East Asia was a history of an increasingly connected civilized world.